Method of and machine for upsetting the ends of pipe



J. U. DEVINE July 19, 1932.

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR UPSETTING THE ENDS 0F PIPE v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 1, 1929 I YE/V10 R (70/77/72 U flex/fine WITNESS July 19, 1932.

J. u, DEVINE 1,868,094

CHINE FOR UPSETT INYE/VTGR U [76min 6.

w TIYES 6 Br HTTORNE r Patented July 19, 1932 1,868,094

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. DEVINE, F STRUTHEBS, OHIO METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR UPSETTING THE ENDS OF PIPE Application filed October 1, 1929. Serial No. 896,502. I

In the manufacture of drill pipe and cerand novel feature of construction and de- 1 tain other sorts of pipe and tubes, it is comsign comprehended by the invention are heremon practice to thicken the walls of the pipe inafter more particularly mentioned or will adjacent its ends to enhance its strength at be apparent from the following description the point where the threads are subsequently of one manner of performin it by means out. It has hitherto been customary to perof a machine of the character 0 that to which form this operation by placin the end of reference has been made and which is illusthe pipe between a. pair of forming dies trated in the accompanying drawings. separable in the plane of the longitudinal My improved method Wlll be most readily 0 axis of the pipe and respectively provided comprehended by first describin the said with semi-cylindrical grooves for its recepmachine and then pointing out t e manner tion when the dies are closed on the pipe, and in whlch it is employed in the performance to then bring a shouldered plunger against thereof, it being, however distinctly underthe end of the pipe so as to crowd the metal stood that the practice of the method is in back on itself and into the space between no way confined to the use of a machine of 55 the forward end or nose of the plunger, the specific character of that herein disclosed which is usually ofless diameter than the as various modifications may be made in the bore of the pipe, and the wall of the bore, said machine and, under certain conditions, with resulting upsettin or thickening of the machines of other types may be utilized if wall from the end of t e pipe inwardly for desired without de arting from the spirit the desired distance, but due to the fact that a d Scope of the sald method as hereinafter the dies in which the pipe is held during this defined and claimed. However, a machine operation are of necessity separable on the of the character of that herein illustrated 0 plane of the pipe axis, a pair of diametrically and described ma preferably be utilized opposed relatively thin fins are formed on under most conditions for the performance the end of the pipe by metal which is forced of the method as he l i i SatiSfaCtOIilY up between the dies during the upsetting opoperative, of a construction not liable to eration, and these fins must be subsequently become dama ed or get out of order removed by chipping, grinding or the like under the con itions ofuse to which it is with resulting enhancement of production nec ssarlly SubJeCted, may be readily oper- 2. co ts. ated by a laborer of average intelligence and 'It is therefore a principal object of the is capable of turning out the work with the present invention to provide a method of rapldity accuracy requisite for modern h and apparatus for upsetting or thickening manufa tur ng requirements the ends of pipes or tubes which is not open In h ld drawlngs Fig- 1 1S a top plan to this objectlon and which, therefore, is V W 0f he ma hlne; Flg- 2 a front and Fig. adapted to upset or thicken the pipe wall 3 an end elevation thereof. Figs. 4:, 5 and without producing any exterior fins or other 6 are fragmentary views, partially in central projection whatsoever upon the pi e.- section and partially in elevation, showing A further object of the invention is to the sequence of positions assumed by certain reduce thefwear and tear on the dies in of the parts of them'achine and the manner which the pipe is disposed during the-u in which they operate upon the pipe during setting operation and which in the metho s the performance of the method where the hitherto in usehas been a matter of ,conpipe is being upset or thickened inwardly,

siderable moment. while Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig.

A still further-object of the invention'is 6 but showing the positions assumed by the the provision of a novel form of machine parts and the pipe when the latter is being satisfactorily operative for the performance upset or thickened outwardly as hereinafter of my improved method. more fully explained:

Still other objects, advantages, operations Referring now more particularly to the 1" machine shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the same comprises a generally longitudinally extending base 1 providedat one end with laterally spaced ways 2 upon which'is mounted a longitudinally reciprocable carriage generally designated as 3. On this carriage are disposed a pair of gripholders 4 and 5 which are laterally spaced apart and cut out on their opposed inner faces for the reception of the pipe grips 6.6 which are held in position in the holders by clamps 7-7 of any suitable type. Each pipe grip is in the form of a rectangular block provided in its inner face with a longitudinally extending semicylindrical groove so that when the grips are brought together as shown in Fig. 3 a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical orifice 6 is formed for the reception of the pipe, of such size that when the grips are closed down on the pipe the latter will be firmly held thereby in the orifice; The grip holder 4 is supported rigidly on the carriage in any suitable way, while the grip 5 is arranged to be moved in and out transversely to enable the pipe to be introduced into and removed from between the grips. For this purpose the grip holder 5' may be arranged to slide between guides 8-8 disposed on the carriage adjacent the ends of the holder and any suit able means provided for effecting the requisite movement of the latter, for example and as shown, a pair of toggle links 9 respective ly connected at one end with the holder and at the other'with the carriage which is extended outwardly beyond the base'as at'3' to form a suitable support for the toggle links and their actuatin mechanism. The latter may comprise a link 10 connecting the centers of the toggle links and an arm 11 extending from the center of one'of the links to an eccentric strap 12 surrounding an eccentric 13 disposed on a vertical shaft .14 provided with any suitable rotating means rotating the shaft in one direction the toggle links may be broken or thrown to sharply holder and grip, other means may be utilized for the purpose if desired, as the specific construction thereof is but a matterof choice.

Means are provided for reciprocating the carriage 3 on the wa s 2 such, for example, as a pair of links 16 disposed on opposite sides of the machine and respectively connected at one end to the carriage and the other to cranks 17 on a transversely extendingshaft (not shown), the arrangement being such that by 18 carried by the base of the machine and and may be provided on its side faces with.

ribs 20 adapted to seat in corresponding grooves in a pedestal 21 rising from and integral with the base of the machine; this pedestal is cut out downwardly from its upper face so as to properlyreceive the die when lowered thereinto and afford vertical support thereto, while the engagement of the ribs with the grooves in the pedestal prevents the die from moving longitudinally in either direction. However, any other means for rigidly su porting the die on the base ma be utilize if preferred.

n the opposite side of the die from that on which the carriage is disposed is arranged a head 25 adapted for longitudlnal reciprocation in ways 26 carried by the base, said re-. ciprocation being effected by any suitable means such, for example and as shown, as a pitman 27 extending from the head to a crank 28 on a transversely extending shaft 29 supported in suitable bearings 30 carried by the base of the machine, the shaft being driven in any convenient way. This head is operative to support at its end adjacent the die the swaging plunger 32 hereinafter more particularly described and which is adapted when the head is'moved toward the die to enter the latter and upset the pipe disposed therein.

It will thusbe apparent that with a machine of the general character of that just described, the pipe P whose end isto be upset or thickened may be disposedin align- 'ment with the semi-cylindrical grooves in the pipe grips 6-6 when the carriage is in retracted position, and by suitable. operation of the grip holder actuating means then clamped in position in the grips with its end P projecting beyond the latter for a considerable distance as indicated inFig. 1, the space between the forward faces of the grips and the adjacent face of the die being so calculated as to permit this result. The die 20 is provided with a central bore 34 in axial alignment with the pipe when clamped in the grip as aforesaid, and adapted to receive the projecting end P of the pipe whenthe carriage is advanced, thus .bringing the parts from the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 to substantially that shown in Fig. 5. From an inspection of Figs. 4,- 5 and 6 it will be noted that the bore in the die is desirably slightly inwardly tapered for a portion of its length from the side or end at which the ipe is introduced when the die is intended or inwardly upsetting the pi e end; (in practice this taper is very'slig 't but is exaggerated in the drawings for the sake of clearness), and as the mouth of the tapered portion of the bore approximates the normal outside diameter 'of the pipe, it yvill be of course apparent that when the pipe is fully seated in the die the forward end thereof beyond the tapered portion of the bore is slightly reduced in' diameter as shown in,

Fi 5. v he swaging plunger 32 to which reference has been made is screwed into or otherwise removably mounted in the head andcomprises a head 36 which seats against the plunger, a cylindrical portion 37 forming a close sliding fit in the cylindrical portion of the bore of the die 20 and, when intended for inwardly upsetting the pipe end, with, a tapered or frusto-conical extremity or nose 38, the greatest diameter of which is adjacent the cylindrical portion 37 but is less thanthat of the latter so that a slioulden 39 is formed at the junction of the tapered and cylindrical portions which, in width, a PIuX- imates the thickness of the pipe wal In the performance of the method, the heated 'end ofthe pipe is introduced to the die as above described to ,assume the position shown in Fig. 5, and the swaging plunger which, of course, is mounted with its axis coincident with that of'the pipe and bore in the die, is then progressively advanced into the pipe, thus bringing the shoulder 39 against its end face, after which further advancing movement of the plunger is effective to crowd the metal of the pipe back on itself and into the space between the nose of the plunger and inner wall or surface of the pipe until when the movement of the plunger is completed the adjacent pipe metal has assumed substantially the shape shown in Fig. 6 with resulting thickening or upsetting of the pipe wall. The plunger is now retracted so as to clear it from the die and the carriage moved away from the latter so as to clear the end of the pipe therefrom. after which the sliding grip holder is moved outwardly and the pipe removed from the machine, thus completing the operation.

It will be of course appreciated that as the bore in the die 20 presents anuninterrupted annular surface in any plane normal to the axis of the pipe within the zone or area in which the outward radial movement or flow of the metal occurs while it is being crowded back by the plunger, itis impossible for any of the metal to be forced outwardly beyond such surface so as to form a fin or other projection on the pipe since the radial distance through which themetal can fiow in any such plane is equidistantly limited at all points around the perimeter of the 1 e. p it will be noted that a certain amount of clearance is preferably left between the adj a cent faces of the pipe gri s and die 20 when the pipe is fully entere in the latter, but as only the extremity of the ipe is ordinarily heated before the pipe is introduced in the die and as the length of the die 20 is such as to extend considerably behind the zone where the metal flow occurs, it is found under practical conditions of operation that there is no swelling or other-material dis turbance of the relatively colder pipe metal exposed in this clearance space, the displacement of the ipe wall under the action of the plunger eing confined solely to that (portion of the pipe which lies within the While the foregoing description as well as the figures therein referred to have been directed more particularly to the performance of the method and to the forms of dies and plungers utilized where the pi e is to be inwardly upset as best shown in Fig, 6, the practice of the method is in no way limited thereto as it may be used with equal facility for upsetting the end of the pipe outwardly so as to maintain the bore of the pipe of constant diameter and provide a raised coneshaped surface on its exterior for the reception of the pipe threads. In this connection reference may be had to Fig. 7, generally corresponding to Fig. 6, but showing a die and plunger suitable for upsetting the end of the pipe outwardly. For this purpose the cylindrical portion of the bore in the die 20 may be of a diameter substantially similar to the outside diameter of the pipe, while the conical portion of the bore is of somewhat greater diameter at its'mouth than the outside diameter of the pipe; correspondingly, the cylindrical portion 32 of the plunger is arranged to forma snug sliding fit in the cylindrical portion of the die bore while the nose 38 of the plunger is cylindrical instead of tapered and corresponds substantially with the internal diameter of the j pipe. Thus, after the pipe has been entered in the die and the plunger is advanced, the metal at the end of the pipe is crowded outwardly into the space between the nose of the plunger and the wall of the conical portion of the die and thus forms a conical enlargement on the outer surface of the pipe substantially as shown in Fi 7. I

While my improved method of thickening or upsetting the ends of drill pipe and the like is particularly desirable because the formation of fins or other projections on the pipe surface is entirely avoided, it is also of advantage in minimizin the wear on the dies employed. Hitherto w ere a pair of separable forming dies'have been utilized as hereinbefore described, it has been found that the latter,wear very rapidly adjacent the seam formed between them at their plane of separation,so that new dies. arerequired at relatively short intervals with resulting enhancement of'production costs. In accordance with the present invention, however, as the forming die 20 is entirely devoid of seams, the wear to which it is subjected is constant and similar at all points inthe bore as wellas extremely gradual, while there is no opportunity for scale or other foreign objects to lodge between the dies, as where separable forming dies are employed, and prevent their properly closing aboutthe pipe.

It will of course be understood that a machine such as I have described may be readily adapted for use with various sizes of pipe by merely changing the pipe grips, die and plunger and may be used with equal facility for upsetting the pipe either inwardly or outwardly by employing plungers and dies of suitable conformation for the performance of the desired function. Furthermore, as above mentioned, the particular or specific details of construction and arrangement of the various parts of the machine are a matter of choice and may thus be varied as desired.

While I have herein described with considerable particularity one manner of per forming my improved method as well as a machine by which it may be convenlently practised, I do not thereby desire or intend to prising a base, a carriage longitudinally reciprocable on the base, pipe gripping means carried by the carriage, 'a solld forming diecarried by'the base and having a bore adapted for the reception of the end of the p1pe when gripped in said means, means for effecting relative movement between v the carriage and the die operable to move the pipe into the latter when gripped by said gripping means, a' plunger adapted to axially enter the pipe when the latter is disposed in the die, and means for effecting relative movement between the pipe and the plunger.

2. A machineof the class described, comprising a base, a carriage slidable on the base, means for reciprocating the carriage, pipe gripping means carried by the-carriage and adapted to hold a pipe in operative position thereon, a solid forming die supported on the base and having a bore extending from one side to the other thereof and adapted to receive the end of the pipe when the ipe is supported'in' the gripping means and t e carriage moved relatively toward the die, a plunger having a shoulder adapted to engage the end of the pipe when in the die and a nose adapted to enter the pipe, and means for forcing the shoulder of the plunger against the end of the pipe to thereby crowd the metal thereof against the nose of the plunger.

3. A machine of the class described, comprising a base, a carriage slidable on the base, means for reciprocating the carriage, a reciprocal head adapted to support a plunger,

v means for reciprocating the head,"a solid die disposed between the carriage and the head and having a bore extending through the die and adapted to receive the end of a pipe when .moved into the die by the operation of the carriage, and means for progressively forcing the plunger against the end of the pipe when disposed in the die to effect a radial flow of the pipe metal between the die and the plunger.

4. In a machine of the class described, a

'solid die having a bore extending therethrough adapted to receive the end of a pipe, means disposed on one side of the die for introducing the pipe into the bore and thereafter operatively holding it therein, a plunger disposed on the other side of the die. in alignment with said bore and provided with a nose adapted to extend into the pipe and a shoulder adapted to engage the end of the pipe, and means for progressively forc 'ing the shoulder of the plunger through said bore and against the end of the pipe when the pipe is disposed in the die so as to crowd the pipe metal in advance. of said shoulder between the nose of the plunger and the adjacent surface of the boreof the die. i

5. A machine adapted to upset the opposite ends of apipe, comprising a solid forming die having an opening extending through it and of uninterrupted circular cross section in any plane normal to its axis,means for rigidly supporting the die, means disposed on one side of the die for gripping the pipe and movingone end thereof into the die opening and thereafter operatively holding it therein, a plunger disposed on the opposite side of the die from the pipe gripping and moving means and provided with a .nose adapted to enter the pipe and ashoulder behind the nose, and means for moving the plunger into the die in a direction opposite that invwhich the pipe is moved thereinto to thereby force the shoulder of the plunger against the end of the pipe and radially displace the pipe metal adjacent said end, said pipe moving means and said plunger moving means being respectively operable to thereafter withdraw the pipe and the plunger from the die in opposite directions, the opening in the die being so formed, as to withdrawal.

6. A machine adapted to upset the opposite ends of a pipe, comprising a solid forming die having an opening extending through it and of uninterrupted circular cross section in any plane normal to its axis, means for sup porting the die, means operative to-efiect re ative movement between the pipe and the die to thereby efiect disposition of the end of the pipe within said opening and adapted to present no obstacle to such maintain said end therein duringsubse uent pipe metal adjacent thereto, sai

upsetting operations, a plunger dispose adjacent the die and provided with a nose ada ted to enter the pipe and a shoulder behin the nose, I and means for movin the plunger into the die toward the pipe to ere by force the shoulder of the plunger against the end of the pipe and radially dis lace the several means being respectively operable to efiect relative movement in opposite directions of the pipe and the plunger with respect to the die to effect longitudinal separation of the upset pipe and the die, the opening in the die being so formed as to present no obstacle to such movement.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of September, 1929.

t p JOHN U. DEVINE. 

